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About this project

Projecteo press coverage

Projecteo is a tiny Instagram projector. It uses wheels of 35mm slide film you make online and each one holds nine photos. Whether they're of your best friends, that holiday last summer or good old pictures of cats, just pop them into Projecteo, focus by twisting the lens barrel and sit back to enjoy your slideshow.

We've developed a process to get your Instagrams onto a single frame of 35mm Kodak film stock, which is cut into a circle and fits snugly inside a wheel. To change wheels, just gently pull it out and place the next one in the slot. You will be able to collect as many wheels as you like.

No pixels, no pixelation.

Like all projectors, Projecteo works best in the dark. We've had great looking images up to two and a half feet wide in a pitch black room. Unlike screens, slide film doesn't have pixels. This means you get beautiful looking images from a device the size of a matchbox.

The functioning prototype

SLS printed prototype

We started off by 3D printing early prototypes of Projecteo. Sure, it was rough and stuck together with tape but it had enough charm to make us fall in love with the idea. We wanted to see how far we could take it.

Through an iterative process, we optimised the focal length of the lenses and added a focusing mechanism. We looked for the most powerful LEDs we could find, made the batteries replaceable and figured out the perfect ratio of images per wheel. We modified the outside edges to give Projecteo a five degree chamfer, to make it a bit nicer to hold. Oh and of course, we gave it cute little feet.

Though we had a prototype that did everything we wanted Projecteo to do, we were not ready for manufacturing. To take us through to that next step, we started working with Meso, a product development consultancy in Scotland. With their help and guidance, we made a production prototype.

We now had a model with parts designed to be injection moulded and all components custom made to fit right in the case. The surface finishes are high gloss on top with a textured matte grey bottom. We now also had a production prototype circuit board, the miniaturised version of the electronics we would be able to make at scale. As a final touch, we made the button a bright, fire truck red. Buttons you want to press are always red.

With a working production prototype, the beginnings of tooling and the first sample ready to be injection moulded, the hardware was coming together nicely. But we also had to figure out how you pick your images online. Luckily, we know a thing or two about that.

How do you pick your images?

Mint Digital is an agency and product development company. We collaborate with startups to large companies to make digital products. We also invent, build and run our own ventures like Foldable.me and Stickygram, giving us quite a bit of an experience in connecting to Instagram and turning digital pixels into physical stuff. We've also learned a lot about fulfilment and shipping to the world.

We've already been hard at work on the web component of Projecteo and will continue to polish the experience. For now, here's a sneak peek.

How do your pictures become slide film?

Our developers in the US use a similar technique to how Hollywood convert digital movies to 35mm film to project in cinemas. Your Instagrams are 'melted' on to a single frame of Kodak film, which is then processed in a similar way to how analogue films are developed, except in full colour.

From the development trays, we cut out individual sets using our custom circle cutter.

We then place each unique piece into one of our wheels.

Screws, not glue

Projecteo has been designed so you can disassemble it. This will not only make them easier to recycle but it means you can pull it open and see what's going on inside. There, you will find a super bright LED, capacitors and resistors, a switch, a decade counter and three batteries. Feel free to hack away! We can't wait to see your creations.

Where will it be made?

The components will be sourced and injection moulded in China. The factory we are working with is in Guangdong city and adheres to all labour condition laws. It's run by a nice gentleman called Henry, who looks after his staff well. Assembly of Projecteo and the development of images will happen in upstate New York, at a professional photography lab run by a lovely man called Neil. He will take care of printing your Instagrams and popping them into wheels.

When will you have Projecteo?

With successful funding, we will be able to make Projecteo between mid-December and mid-January. After manufacturing, units will be drop tested to the American standard and EU/FCC certified, which should take a maximum of two weeks. We'll then need to test our fulfilment process to make sure the Instagrams you choose on the site are matched with the physical wheels.

Once we have everything running smoothly, we should be able to roll out units to our first Kickstarter backers around late February. We will ship units in the order we receive the pledges, so back early to get Projecteo early!

Something special for Kickstarter…

The whole idea behind Projecteo came about when Ben found a Rollei film projector and a bunch of slides on a market stall. He fell in love with the beautiful and refined design of the projector and set about to find a way of getting his Instagrams onto slide film.

In homage, we'd like to make 1000 limited edition Projecteos in the Rollei P35 colours. We will only ever make these available on Kickstarter.

Special Kickstarter edition

It's been a long and difficult but fascinating journey so far, and we can't wait to get Projecteo into your hands. However, there are still a few bumps along the way and we need your help to get us there.

Risks and challenges

There are inherent risks and challenges when developing any sort of product, be it physical or digital. When we mix the two, it gets slightly more complex. We've got a great team working on Projecteo with the right skills and experience to finish the job. Here is what we face in the upcoming months.

1. Financial backing
Without your support, we can't cover the cost of tooling and get a handle on the minimum order quantity we should commit to for the first batch. We need your help to get us there.

2. Refining the tool
We have made a pretty good start on this and produced some first samples. To get the tooling to the standard we require at volume will take more time, money and effort.

3. Fulfilment
Though we have our circle cutter, we will need to install it in the photography studio and look to set up an efficient and accurate fulfilment procedure to produce wheels at scale for Projecteo.

4. Web
This part of the project is well underway. Making digital products is something we have the expertise in, but there are still tricky problems to solve. We'll keep working at it until we get the experience of creating your wheel just right.

5. Rollout
Once we reach our funding goal, we'll need to send Projecteos to all our backers. This will involve shipping from China, assembly in the US, developing each individual film and wheel, boxing them up and sending them across the world. We have experience in this from our previous ventures, but Projecteo is just that much more complex.

We are looking to trickle units out in increasing volumes to test all our processes as we go and iron out any kinks as early as we can. With your support, we can tackle anything that comes our way and get Projecteo out in to the world.

FAQ

This is because Mint has two offices. One is in London, one is in New York. I work in London, but the films are being developed and sent out from New York. This is why shipping will be +$5 outside of the US.

We're considering making a feature for this but it is not our priority at the moment. Instagram enables you to upload any photos from your phones library. If I want an image for Projecteo that I've not take with instagram, I send it to my phones library then upload it to instagram.

To be honest we're not 100% sure on this yet but you'll be the first to know when we do.

There are a few aspects to this cost:

1. Developing the film

2: Fulfillment (cutting the film out and placing in the wheel)

3: Packaging, labeling and posting (and matching up the images to the right addresses)

We know how much 1 costs, but 2+3 can vary wildly depending on order quantity, time and labour costs. Thus, we will have a better idea when we have refined our fulfillment process and got an efficient system in place.

We do know two things. The first is that we will make them as reasonably priced as we possibly can and the second is that the more of these you purchase in one order, the cheaper they will become. This is because we can put more than one wheel in each envelope, which saves us delivery and fulfillment costs.

Projecteo takes three 'AG3' watch batteries. Projecteo will come with three batteries but we're not sure yet if you'll be able to buy them off the site when it's launched. In the mean time, there are loads of places you can get them online or from a store.

Rewards

Pledge $1 or more

Thanks for the support! Keep up to date with all our progress as we make Projecteo. The highs, the lows, the image lab, the factories in China, the team in London & New York.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2013

You selected

Pledge $15 or more

50 backers
All gone!

A special price for the quickest fifty backers! As a thank you for getting the ball rolling, you will be the first ones to get a Projecteo and create a wheel.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $20 or more

150 backers
All gone!

Missed the first 50? No worries! We have another 150 units at this Kickstarter only price. You will be the second lot to get Projecteo!

Estimated delivery:Feb 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

1,613 backers

The standard pack. Create one wheel and get a piano white Projecteo for this Kickstarter only price.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $40 or more

869 backers
Limited (131 left of 1000)

Kickstarter Special! In an homage to the beautiful Rollei P35 slide projector, we'll be creating 1000 Projecteos in P35 colours. Get a Kickstarter exclusive Projecteo that will not be available anywhere else.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $350 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

For a true one-off, work with our designers to create a Projecteo in any colour combination you choose. Add a message, logo or a name emblazoned on the base for a unique and personal piece.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

0 backers
Limited (3 left of 3)

For the Projecteo connoisseur, we'll be making three gold plated Projecteos just for Kickstarter. Have your message, logo or name cast into the piece and a chance to get the a Projecteo of the most limited edition.